Vibroacoustic Measurements for Detecting Water Leaks in Buried Small-Diameter Plastic Pipes

Leak detection is an essential topic within the policies of water loss management in drinking-water supply networks. This paper reports the results of an experimental campaign performed for assessing the sensitivity to water leaks of measurements of different vibroa-coustic phenomena. The study represents the first stage of research aimed at developing a device for automatic leak detection in service pipes of water distribution networks. Leaks were artificially induced on a plastic pipe (length of 28 m and diameter of 32 mm) of a buried experimental facility. Vibroacoustic phenomena related to the leaking flow were monitored using a hydrophone and two accelerometers. A satisfactory leak-detection performance was achieved by processing the signals from both kinds of transducers. (C) 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.